Baby Steps
by ObsessiveCompulsive5699
Summary: Sasuke's hurt, Itachi's pissed, Sakura's pregnant, and somehow Naruto's the cause of all three. Will he be able to straighten his life out before the big day, or will the baby destroy everything he worked so hard to create? NaruSasu
1. The phone call that started it all

_Author's notes_

_Hello everybody! I'm back! So, um, yeah, this is a story idea I've been entertaining for awhile, and just now decided to actually write. It's probably a mistake to start two chapter stories at the same time, seeing as I have a hard enough time updating one...But, alas, my muse doesn't think about these things, so here we go! Oh, and sorry if its written a little weird, I haven't written in third POV in a long time, so I'm a little rusty..._

_Warning: Shohen-ai, rusty writing...um...I'm not really sure whatelse, if I think of anything, I'll let you know_

_Disclamor: Okay, seriously, it's getting depressing to write this out every time- We're on FANfiction...if you can't figure out that I'm nothing but an obsessed fan, then I'm not sure you should be allowed __on a computer..._

_Dedicated to: **miserygirl,** because she's an awesome reviewer and wanted an original story from me!_

_Author: Obsessive_

Ring!

Sasuke glared at the phone. Someone-he wasn't sure who- kept calling, then hanging up as soon as he picked up the phone. They had been doing it every twenty minutes for the past three hours. This time, however, he decided to let it ring.

_Ring!_

It was probably some telemarketer, having a hard day at their job. Or, more likely, some crazed fangirl had gotten his phone number and decided to try it, but kept chickening out. He shivered from the thought.

_Ring! _

Of course, if it was some fangirl, she was a new one. Most of the ones he knew had been very….eager to talk to him and would have stayed and started to babble in his ear the second he picked up. There was always the chance it wasn't the same number, but he had a feeling it was.

_Ring!_

_"Hey, this is Naruto and Sasuke's, leave a message after the beep!"_

**"Um, hey Naruto….This is Sakura…."** Sasuke frowned lightly. The name was so familiar.

"**I know you probably weren't expecting to hear from me again….and I wasn't expecting to call…and so many times too!"** He knew it had been the same number!

"**Sorry 'bout that….but, anyways, um...I know I wasn't supposed to call you…but…uh…okay, there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just do it!"** He heard her take a deep breath, and his scowl intensified. **"I'm pregnant."** He felt his heart stop. **"It's yours too, I haven't…I mean…you're the only one that fits…so...just, uh…give me a call when you get this."**

Sasuke thought he heard the answering machine click, but with the ringing in his ears he wasn't sure. This-this girl was pregnant with Naruto's kid, but they had been going steady since he was fifteen. He rushed from the room and into their bedroom, remembering where he knew that name from. He stopped in front of one of the bookcases and ran his fingers along twelve years worth of yearbooks, randomly pulling out one of the later years.

The name Sakura was pretty unusual, so for a name like that to be familiar he must have known her. High school was his best bet, so he flipped through their junior year and flipped through it, skimming the names until he found her.

As soon as he saw her face he remembered her. All through elementary and middle school him and Sakura had been best friends, and had both admired Naruto, three years their senior. When high school had started, she began to hang with the cheerleaders and populars, while he had finally found the courage to talk to Naruto. He had seen her almost everyday after that, but apart from the occasional "hi", they had never talked again. Sasuke had thought she'd moved away, but apparently he'd been wrong.

A stab of pain tore through him, and he returned the book to the shelf and walked back into the living room/kitchen and sat down in his favorite chair. Originally, back before they moved in together, it had been Naruto's, but now it was claimed by Sasuke. Old and worn, its dark purply-pink cloth covered in stains and tears, but that was why he loved it. Unlike everything that he had grown up with, this had character and love, things he valued highly.

Numb, Sasuke sat there, waiting until Naruto got home. Hours later he heard the tell-tale thumping of his feet down the hall, then saw him walk through the door smiling. His smile faded when he saw the look on his loves face. Instantly he was at his side and had Sasuke's face between two warn, tan hands.

"What's the matter?" He asked, his baby-blue eyes shinning with concern.

"I don't feel well." Sasuke rasped. Naruto frowned.

"Hang on, I'll go get you some tea." He gently pecked Sasuke's lips then stood, walking into the kitchen, he absently clicked on the blinking answering machine.

"**Um, hey Naruto….This is Sakura…."** Naruto froze.

"**I know you probably weren't expecting to hear from me again….and I wasn't expecting to call…and so many times too! Sorry 'bout that….but, anyways, um...I know I wasn't supposed to call you…but…uh…okay, there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just do it! I'm pregnant."** He unfroze and jumped at the machine, unplugging it before her thought was finished. He slowly turned to look at Sasuke, fear clearly displayed.

"Did…you…um…" Sasuke nodded, not trusting his voice to stay level. Naruto walked slowly over to him and sat on the couch next to him.

"Listen, Sasuke…It's not what you think!" He began.

"Then what is it, huh? Did she mean some other Naruto?" Sasuke let his anger overpower his grief and stared expectantly at Naruto. The blonde looked startled at the sudden change in attitude.

"Well, I mean, I guess it is…But Sasuke, I can explain!"

"No, you know what, save it." Sasuke stood and stormed out, slamming his door on the way. Naruto stared at the door with tears in his eyes.

"Sasuke…"

* * *

_Just so we're clear, as much as it seems like it, this isn't actually a Sakura-bashing fic..._

_If you want to see this continued, review!_


	2. Comforting the weak

_Author's notes_

_Jeez, wow, I feel acomplished! So many chapters in such a short time! Whoo! Yeah, okay, I'm done. So, yeah, I'm really not liking writing in 3rd POV again...But the way i planned this story, I kind of have to...So, I apologize for the long explanation paragraphs, but the good thing is, now that you know this stuff, I wont have to say it again! And those paragraphs can start to dwindle down! So, um, good luck lasting until then!_

_Warnings: Sasuke is acting kinda wimpy, but in the next ones he wont be, so stick with me! And thats pretty much it..._

_Disclamor: You know, if I were less exhausted, I would come up with a slightly hilarious and random disclamor, but right now I'm sticking with the basic "Me no own-y"_

_Author: Obsessive_

* * *

Sasuke stood on the sidewalk in front of his apartment. He looked to his right, then to his left, thinking about where he would go. Normally, he would have taken the bus to a friends, but it was almost ten by now, and the buses had stopped running. He sighed unhappily.

His eyes widened with realization and he took off. Running, he was careful to avoid getting hit by late-night drivers as he traveled across town. It had been getting steadily closer to black outside, and he thanked Kami that it was June and it had stayed light for as long as it had. The brunette almost sighed in relief as the familiar gates of The Hills, a prestigious neighborhood for mill-and-billionaires came into view. His home away from home, Itachi's place, lay right behind those gold bars. Well, it wasn't technically all Itachi's, but it was home nonetheless.

Itachi hadn't always been rich, and neither had the rest of his friends. They had met almost fourteen years before, back when they were all silly kids with huge dreams. Somehow, they had ended up talking at a party of some sort, and that was it. From then on the ten of them were almost inseparable, and always traveled in packs together. Sometime when the elder Uchiha was in college Pein and Tobi had come up with an idea to start a technology company, and they had pooled their limited money together to start it up. Six months later it had been picked up by a few sponsors, and now they were one of the most prominent companies in the world. Again, they pooled their money and bought a giant mansion, and lived there happily.

Now Sasuke, being Itachi's baby brother, had been welcomed with open arms and was loved by all of them. However, he wasn't sure that waking them up in the middle of the night was a great way to repay them for all the support they had given him over the years, so he decided to sneak in. He jumped up, and his hands just barely caught the top of the gate's sign. He slowly pulled himself into a crouching position, then climbed the rest of the way to the top. Once there, he carefully swung his leg over until both were hanging over the inside, then he shut his eyes and let himself fall. Sasuke landed hard on his side and rolled, tearing through cloth and skin on the way. When he stopped, he stood gradually and began to limp towards their house.

When he finally made it up to their door, he gritted his teeth, angry at his stupidity. He had climbed the fence so as not to wake them, but he would have to wake someone to get it. He closed his eyes tightly and let his forehead rest against the doorbell, hoping that with the odd sleeping schedules of the residents somebody would be up. He only had to wait for a few minutes before faint curses and footsteps could be heard from inside.

"WHAT?!" The door flew open and an angry and tired voice came forward. Two men, one tall with red hair, the other feminine and blonde, stuck their heads out, only to gasp in shock when they saw who it was.

"Sasuke?" Deidara asked timidly. "It's almost midnight…what are you doing here?"

Sasuke stared at them blankly for a second or two before bursting into tears. Deidara immediately rushed forward and pulled him into a hug and tugged him inside.

"Go get Itachi!" He hissed at Sasori, who frowned slightly but nodded and took off towards the Uchiha's room.

"Shhh….Shhh…Your brother's coming, and I'm right here…Shhh…" he murmured in the slightly smaller man's ear as he rubbed small circles on his back.

Not even two minutes later Itachi was rushing down the stairs to them. He threw his arms around them, not caring about the blood and dirt that was getting on hi and Deidara's clothes, and kissed his head. Sasuke shifted so he was in between them both, but kept crying, uncontrollably.

"What happened?"

Sasuke shook his head, not being able to speak clearly from tears, but he managed to get a few recognizable words out, the most prominent being "Naruto". Itachi's jaw tightened as well as his arms, looking at the blonde and mouthing "Sasuke's room". Deidara nodded, and without letting their grip on him fall, they led the small brunette up the stairs and to his room. They brought him to the bed and laid him down, and watched as he seemed to sleep, but as soon as they were about to leave he spoke.

"Please stay?" His voice sounded so frail and childlike they had no choice but to craw into bed with them. He snuggled into them, and they curled around him protectively and let themselves fall asleep too. Whatever had him so upset could wait for morning, and with a single tear Sasuke slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

_So...I promises it'll get better! Just stick with me! And I'm not sure when I'll be updating any of my stories, because this is my last week of school, so things are pretty hectic and busy lately..._

_Reviews makes my crying soul smile! -Woh, I didn't mean for that to sound emo, I'm just sad 'cause I'm leaving all my friends...-_

_Whoever said "Parting is such sweet sorrow" was brilliant and wise...-sigh-_


	3. Drinking the pain away

_Author's notes_

_So...um...here's the third chapter! Whoo! Yeah, okay, so I know its been a little while since I updated this, but it wasn't intentional! This is the first night in over two weeks I've been alone, between seeing my friends before my trip, my trip, and seeing people after. The trip (which was totally depressing and not really worth the plane ticket) did, however, give me some valuable insparation, so writing may become a little easier now..._

_Warning: Drunk people. Shohen-ai. _

_Disclamor: Do you think I'd allow there to be TWO crazy pink-haired people running around if I owned the show?_

_Author: Obsessive_

* * *

"Another round!" Naruto called to the bartender loudly, his voice slurring. Gaara sent a worried look to the other men who sat at the bar next to him. Neji pursed his lips but downed the shot the bartender had set in front of him.

Kiba, on the other hand, decided to speak. "Are you sure you wanna drink that...?" He gestured at the many empty glasses around Naruto. "Don't you think that maybe you've had enough?"

"NO." Naruto said harshly while sending a drunken glare to his best friend. "I know my limits, an' this…this isn't it!" He was slurring so badly they could hardly understand him, and his eyes were heavily lidded, like he was half-way towards past-out.

Gaara waited until he had downed his last drink before acting. "Come on, we're leaving."

"NO! I don't wanna leave!" The blonde sounded like a child arguing with his mom, and between the childish way he positioned himself, with his arms crossed, and the pout he wore, he looked the part.

Gaara's nostrils flared at his defiance, and Neji and Kiba immediately stood up and put their coats on, realizing how serious the red-head was. He stood and moved to his side, then pulled him out of his seat and to his feet. Naruto glared down at him, and Kiba couldn't help cracking a smile at the sight of the staring match between the fiery man and Naruto, who stood at well-over half a foot taller than him.

After a few seconds, Naruto hung his head in submission and Gaara smirked. He gestured for the brunettes to follow him, and then took Naruto's hand and led them out and to the car. He frowned at his stumbling friends, and how idiotic they looked trying to walk down the street. He sighed at unlocked the car, pulling the doors open before walking to the drivers seat and starting the car.

As soon as the others were all safely in the car, he took off towards his and Neji's place, since it had become the unofficial meeting place for the foursome. Every so often he would take a look in the rearview mirror at the nearly unconscious group in the back, but mostly he focused on the road. He thanked all the deities he didn't believe in that no cops were roaming near them, as a glance at the dashboard confirmed that he was going well above the speed-limit.

"Gaara…" A groan from the backseat startled him out of his thoughts. "Gaara…sorry…" The blonde's voice was unrecognizable, he sounded so weak.

This was the fifth night in a row he had ended up driving his three drunk friends to their apartment. Since Sasuke left, Naruto had tried to act like nothing was wrong, and for the most part he did a good job, but lately he had been falling apart. During the day, he was functional and made sure he didn't have twenty minutes of free-time all day, but at night he seemed to feel the absence of Sasuke most, and had taken to drowning his loneliness in booze. For about a week they had let him drink alone, but after he missed work and they showed up at his apartment to find him passed out in a puddle of his own puke they insisted that he only drink with them.

"What is it Naruto?" He asked softly, worry laced in every word.

"Please don't make me go home…I don't wanna be there anymore…" He was so sad and pitiful that Gaara's heart ached.

"I wont."

Gaara rounded the next corner and sighed in relief when the perimeter of his apartment complex came into view. Slowing down, he drove into their parking spot and turned the car off. Half-turning, he said "Hey, we're here. Wake up."

Getting no response from any of them, he tried again. "GET UP." He could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming one, and it showed in his voice. Sick of caring after him, he opened the car door, got out, and slammed it as hard as he could.

"Wah? The three men woke with matching questions. They saw Gaara walking away from the car, and staggered after him, clinging on each other for support. After managing the three flights of stairs, they walking into the apartment and collapsed in their usual places.

Neji fell asleep on the outside of the coffee table, with Kiba next to him. Naruto managed to get onto the couch before he passed out, a considerable feat in his state. Gaara sighed and grabbed a few cushions, walking around and carefully placing them under his friends heads, then covering them with sheets he stashed under the couch. Then he grabbed one of each for himself and lay in between the couch and the coffee table.

Some time later he heard Naruto rouse and turn on his side with his back to the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?" Gaara asked quietly, not needing to elaborate.

Naruto sighed. "I-I just…I miss him so much! This is the longest I've been away from him since I met him, and that was over eight years ago…He was my sun, my moon, my air…He was my life! And I lost him because of a stupid drunken mistake!" His voice, starting out remorseful, grew angrier as he spoke.

"I mean, he had thrown me out! I was in mourning and completely wasted, and then up walks this pretty little thing offering me no-strings-attached sex! I was hurting-What was I supposed to do?!" He stopped to take a breath.

"And when he called me a few days later to apologize, I was so happy to have him back I completely forgot about her, or the fact that we used to know her! But I couldn't explain anything to him after he left and now I don't even know where he is and I miss him so much it hurts!" There were tears in his eyes when he finished talking.

Gaara lay in stunned silence at his normally light-hearted friends speech. He was amazed at how deeply his love for Sasuke ran. Anyone with eyes could see how much the blonde adored the stoic raven, and visa-versa, but this-this was something more, something truer and stronger. He thought carefully about what he was about to say, and knew he might regret it, but the pain Naruto was feeling was worth the risk.

"I know where he is."

"What?" Naruto sat up straight and looked at him intently, and the other man nodded and met his gaze.

"Remember my cousin, Sasori? The one who works with Sasuke's brother? He's seen Sasuke and knows where he's staying…" He paused after looking at Naruto and feeling the hope begin to build within him, he continued. "I could talk to him, maybe convince him to talk to you…" His thought was never finished because Naruto, in his excitement, fell on top of him and gave him a ferocious hug.

"Waz goin' on?" Neji propped himself up half-way and asked them blearily.

"I woke Gaara up and told him about how much I loved Sasuke, and then he became my savior and told me he would talk to Sasuke, so you need to get plenty of sleep because tomorrow the two of you are going to his cousins house to bring back my lover!" Naruto answered enthusiastically.

Neji blinked once, then twice, before looking at Gaara, who shrugged. Neji lay back down and turned over. "Thas' nice. Just remember: No sexy-time with my Gaa-poo." With that, he began snoring. Gaara felt a blush creep to his cheeks while the two of them stared at his sleeping lover. Finally, they began giggling, and Naruto gave him one more hug before climbing back onto the couch.

"Thank you."

The red-head felt the corners of his lips tug upward, and he replied with a simple "Goodnight, Naruto."

* * *

_Now, since most of you probably don't read these anyways, I'm going to explain why I haven't been updating very much in rescent months. This is only the second summer of my entire life that I haven't moved, and last summer, which was my first, I had a huge baby-sitting job that lasted for over a month, so I kept busy. This summer, I really have nothing. And in the absence of stimulation, I have discovered that my spirit needs chaos and time-limits to soar. Because I have so much free time, I haven't been able to get anything done, which makes no sense but is true...Which is one of the reasons why my stories may be kind of slow to update for the next month or two..._

_On the upside the guilt makes me write longer chapters! **And to any CAPTIVE/BOUND readers, I should be updating that one tomorrow night...**_

_Reviews make me work harder!_


	4. The room happiness forgot

_Author's notes_

_Well...you know what? I'm going to do my little talking thing at the end of the chapter...I just want to put this out there: I love Sasori, Dedara, and Gaara! _

_Warning: Um...not much...some stuff implied, but thats about it..._

_Dedicated to: __miserygirl__, who's probably my most faithful reviewer, __sillymail__, who was very helpful and honest, __yukirain__, who is a pretty regular reviewer and one of my favorite to hear from, and to all my other reviewers!_

_Author: Obsessive_

* * *

"Remind me again why you agreed to do this?" Neji's voice was dripping annoyance as he stared at the road.

"Because he's our friend and he's in pain." Gaara replied, frowning deeply.

"Ah. Then why did I come?"

"Because you love me." Gaara said, smirking when his boyfriend glanced over at him.

"Hnn." The rest of the drive was silent, both men lost in thought. As the golden gates of The Hills came into view, Gaara spoke again.

"Can you still get in?"

"Yeah, my voice should still be in the system." Neji sighed, then rolled down the window and leaned his head out.

"Name?" The pretty mechanical female voice asked.

"Neji, Hyuuga."

A pause, then "Voice accepted." And the gates opened. Gaara snorted at the cheesiness of the whole thing, and Neji gave him a withering look but said nothing as he drove through and into the neighborhood. He had grown up here, so it was like home; a fancy, unwelcoming home, but still. He continued to drive until Gaara reached out and grabbed his arm.

"This is it. Number 12, on the right." The brunette nodded and pulled up on the curb, seeing as the driveway was completely full. Silently they got out of the car and walked up to the door. Gaara went to ring the doorbell, then stopped. Reaching up, he pulled Neji down until they were face-to-face.

"Thank you." he murmured, then leaned in and kissed him. It wasn't passionate, nothing more than a brief brush of the lips, but Gaara knew it was all it would take to get Neji to listen to him. He pulled back and Neji slowly straightened up, a small blush on his face. The redhead turned back to the door and smirked, then rang the doorbell.

In moments, he heard the lock turn, and then he was facing another redhead, eerily identical except for his hair, which was slightly darker, and his height (Gaara was shorter). The others eyes widened slightly, and his eyebrows raised. "Cuz! What're you doing here?" He pulled Gaara into a brief hug, then pulled back and seemed to notice Neji. "And who's tall, dark, and brooding?"

Gaara chuckled at him and the aura of death he felt radiating from the man behind him. "Nice to see you too, Sasori. And this is Neji." He gave him a meaningful look, and the other nodded.

"So you ended up like me? I bet grandma's proud...But you're uke…" He sighed. "Oh well, I hear its great either way." He smirked and the slight darkening of Gaara's cheeks. "You still haven't answered my question, but before you do, let me guess: It has something to do with Sasuke?"

He stepped aside and let them in, and began leading them towards the stairs. "Yeah. You know Naruto?"

"Trust me, by now, everyone in the house knows him, and just to warn you, he is _not_ a popular guy." He replied as the walked.

Gaara sighed deeply and ran his hand through his hair. "I figured as much. Anyways, he sent us hear to try and talk to Sasuke."

"Good luck with that." He snorted as he finally stopped in front of a plain beige door. Gaara leaned in, trying to hear what was on the other side. "Don't bother with that. We had all the doors and walls sound-proofed…The, uh, sexual appetites of some of us, are…kind of…exciting…and for the benefit of passersby's, we did that when we moved in…" He trailed off, embarrassed at the looks he was receiving from his two companions.

"Well, here you go." He said as he turned the knob. "'Good luck." He patted Gaara on the back, then pushed the door open and stepped in.

Gaara and Neji followed him, and were instantly squinting. The room was painted a deep, dark red, and no lights were on. Added to that were the heavy black curtains that covered all the windows and then some. The room was as dark as it could possibly be, and even with his good eyesight, for a minute all Gaara could see was vague outlines. However, his eyes adjusted quickly, and then he was able to focus on the murmuring and sniffles he heard coming from the bed. Carefully, he had Neji made their was to the bed, which had sheer, almost see-through black curtains around it. He pulled back the cloth slowly and poked his head in.

There, on the bed, was an unfamiliar blonde, Sasuke, and a man who looked so similier to Sasuke he knew it had to be Itachi. The two older men were lying around the small brunette, their arms around him protectively. At the intrusion to their little safe-haven, all three turned to look at Gaara, and he felt instantly uncomfortable.

"Who're you?" Itachi demanded, his voice little more than a hiss. He was glaring full-force at the redhead, who had to fight not to glare back.

Sasori stuck his head in, setting it on Gaara's shoulder. "Relax. This is my cousin, Gaara." Itachi did relax, somewhat, but his grip on Sasuke tightened. The blonde, however, brightened considerably.

"Really? Well, hiya! My name's Deidara! I'm Sasori's boyfriend!" He reached out one of his arms to half-hug Gaara, who tensed but returned the gesture somewhat awkwardly.

"Hi…" He said slowly, before turning to look at Sasuke. "Hey. How are you?"

The brunette glared, which was lessened the shininess of his eyes, clearly trying not to cry. "How do I look?" His eyes were swollen and red, as was his nose, and he was paler and skinnier than normal, which was saying something. He looked way worse than Naruto, which, much as he hated to admit it, made Gaara feel a little better. He briefly thought about lying, but opted against it.

"In truth, you look like shit." Itachi's glare strengthened, and Deidara raised his eyebrows, but Sasuke remained blank. Then, suddenly, he chuckled dryly, which turned into a light cough. They all looked at him in shock.

"I missed you Gaara. Thank you for being honest." His smile died out, and he looked miserable again. "You gonna tell us why you're here?"

"Naruto misses you." He wasted no time getting in the point, but almost wished he had when he saw the way all three tensed up. "Listen, before you start on me, hear me out." He waited for one of them to say something, and both Itachi and Deidara opened their mouths, but Sasuke beat them to it.

"Okay." His voice was soft and full of emotion.

Gaara swallowed, then started again. "He's a wreck, Sasuke. Without you, its like…like he can't function. He had to request time off from work, and now he spends every day sleeping, then all night drinking." He knew he hit a nerve by the way Sasuke's jaw tightened. Naruto had always had a drinking problem, but Sasuke had worked hard to keep him sober.

"Please, please, consider talking to him. I'm not asking you to forgive him!" He said quickly when Itachi opened his mouth. "I'm just asking you to talk to him, to hear him out. He- he loves you so much. He was almost in tears last night when he asked me to talk to you."

Sasuke's eyes widened, for a good reason. Even Gaara had been surprised. In the nine years he had known the blonde, he had only cried once. Once, in nine years, and that had been when Kiba had been sent to the hospital for a stab wound. "He…He cried? Over me?" When Gaara nodded, he could see Sasuke's anger start to dissipate.

"All I'm asking is for you to listen to him, even on the phone. It would- I know just hearing your voice would be wonderful for him." He looked at the small brunette hopefully.

Before Sasuke could answer, Itachi started. "No way! That bastard has hurt Sasuke for the last time! He's always been such a brute, making Sasuke give up the life he had, and now-What he did was inexcusable! Sasuke should _never_ have had to deal with pain like this!"

"I my have to agree with him...I mean, maybe if-maybe if he had told Sasuke about it right away…I mean, I've been in a situation like that with Sasori, but I told him! And I _certainly_ never got anyone pregnant!"

"I think…" Sasuke's voice was quiet and lacking in the emotion that the others had, but all of them looked at him, hanging on his every word. "I think that, while I'm still so, _so_ mad at him…I can't live without him. I've loved him for so long, that without him…Well, you can see me…I'll call him."

Itachi was furious. "But, but Sasuke! How can you even think-"

"What would you do if it were you and Kisame?" Sasuke said without looking at him. Itachi opened his mouth, and deemed to search for the right words, but then shut it. "You would do the same thing I am, because you love him, the same way as I love Naruto."

"Then maybe you should do it." Deidara piped in.He smiled brightly. "Here, I'll get Sasori's cell!" He shimmied out of bed, then skipped to the redhead, gave him a swift kiss on the check, then grabbed his phone and skipped back and jumped back into bed.

Sasuke took it, then looked at it apprehensively before looking up at Gaara. "Will he…?" He trailed off, and Gaara nodded.

"He's always at home now…During the day, if he's not sleeping, he sits in your chair and reads, or something…"

Sasuke looked at the phone, then slowly began dialing. He held it up to his ear, and all three men leaned closer, Deidara scooting over so Gaara could sit on the bed and listen too. After three rings he picked up.

"Hello?" Naruto's voice was heavy, and he sounded close to passing out or crying, whichever came first.

"Naruto? It's me…I'm ready to talk."

* * *

_This was a really long chapter! Woot-woot! Yeah, so...personally, I thought this was proabably the best out of all of them, but I guess that's for you guys to decide..._

_So on another note, I got in a sort-of-fight with Compulsive a few days ago! That's been fun, not being able to talk to her, but its not like we talk much anymore, but still, with what happened today, I really want to talk to her. _

_You see, today i found out i have to have another operation...Its scheduled for August 29, but that could change...God, I'm so pissed off about it, and scared shitless...and hungry. Scared shitless and hungry...Yep, that's me...But, you know, I'm trying not to let it bother me! After all, someone else is always worse off, right? _

_But guess what!? One of my best friends, who I haven't spent more than two days with in over five years, is flying up from texas to visit me!! We're going to spend five days together!! I'm so happy!! _

_Oh, and I have another idea for a chapter fic, something very different than what I usually write, so i may try to start that soon...Of course, since I'm in the middle of two stories, starting another might not be the smartest idea, but my muse doesn't know when to give me idea's and when not to..._

**_Please, review and make my awful week a little better!_**


	5. A conversation in the closet

_Authors notes_

_My surgery got moved up, and was yesterday!_

_So, before I say anything else, I just want to point out that right now I'm on three different kinds of meds -One for pain, one in case the other doesn't work, and one to combat the nausia- and I somehow, even after sleeping over three-fourths of every day, still am not getting enough sleep, so thats why the chapter is, like, wonky. Or something. I don't know, I'm not sure whats wrong with it, but I feel like soemthing is...Or maybe thats just my pessimism talking..._

_Secondly, my surgery went fine! So far, aside from the pain and nausia, the only bad thing has been I haven't been able to eat much but potatoes and ice cream, but thats okay because soon I'll be fine! Yay!! I'm so happy, and now -hopefully- all of my medical stuff has been taken care of and I'll be fine!! Woot! And do you know that sometimes when they hook you up to an IV, they strap your arm down? Cause i didn't, and it. Freaked. Me. Out. _

_But oh well, everything is well in the land of Obsessive! Plus, now I've found out that I can go out! It was really funny, cause me and Compulsive were hanging out, and this group of teens, like, cornered her asking for a doller, and I swear I thought they were gonna attack her! The expression on her face was priceless!!_

_Warning: Swearing...um...angsting?...minor BL, though that shound be obvious by now..._

_Disclamor: Trust me, if I owned NARUTO, I would be giving Sakura some serious tranqulizers so she can calm doownn..._

_Author: Obsessive_

* * *

Sasuke heard the sharp intake of breath on the other side, then a timid "Sasuke?".

"Yeah, its me…"

"You're really going to listen to what I have to say?" He sounded a little more life-like, Sasuke felt a small wave of relief wash over him, before annoyance found its way to the top of his emotions.

"I will, if you ever get around to talking. If its not a good time, I can always-"

"No! The time is perfect!" The blonde nearly shouted, and Gaara let the corner of his lips upturn at the familiar, well-missed sound. Sasuke looked from the corner of his eye, and saw his brother frown at his tone, and he sighed.

"Naruto, hang on a second." He crawled over Itachi to the edge of the bed and got off, stumbling slightly before regaining his balance. He ignored the worried, and slightly amused, looks of the rooms occupants and started walking towards the closet. "I'm going to take the call in here, okay guys?" He told them, not really expecting an answer. Shutting the door behind him, he leaned against it.

"Can I start?" Naruto asked. Hearing a small 'hnn' in response, he took a deep breathe before continuing. "Look, Sakura is-"

"I know who Sakura is." Sasuke told him, his voice tight. From the other side of the door, Deidara glanced at Itachi.

"Should we tell him that we can hear him?" Itachi gave him a look that said 'You idiot, don't you wanna hear this?', and Deidara nodded. "Right, sorry." Everyone looked at the door and scooted closer.

"Oh yeah, I guess that's how-yeah, okay, um," Naruto babbled, then stopped and closed his eyes before starting again. "Remember when we had the huge fight about two months ago?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, you know, after you threw me out and everything, I kinda wound up at a bar…"Sasuke frowned deeply, but stayed silent. "And, well, you know, one drink led to another, and another, and eventually I was fairly drunk, and then she walked up to me and started a conversation…"

"And you went back to her place and had sex." Sasuke said in a flat voice.

"Because she reminded me of you! I told her about everything that we had, and she talked to me about you, and then she offered me a one-time thing, cause she missed you too!"

"Is that all you have to tell me? Is that seriously your big sob story? How the _hell_ is that supposed to make anything better?! I mean, for all I know, you could be drunk!" he heard the sharp intake of breath and knew he had hurt him, but he continued. "Or maybe you just miss having me as a convenient fuck-"

"_Sasuke_." That was all it took for Sasuke to fall silent. "You know that that isn't true. I have never, _ever_ treated you like an object, and you know it. After we were done, I felt horrible and dirty, even through the alcohol and sex, and left immediately after making sure she understood. I was planning to tell you the next time I talked to you, but you know what? Honestly, when you called and asked me to come home, I was so happy that I completely forgot about her, because she is nothing to me compared to you."

Back with the others, Gaara spoke. "It's been quiet for awhile…Do you think-I mean, should we check on him, or something?"

Itachi sent a worried look at the door, but it was Hidan who spoke. "Look, I think we've just gotta let those two sinners work this out for themselves. I mean, if they can't get through this on their own than maybe its best if it ended." Everyone looked at him in surprise, though whether it was for what he said or the lack or swear words is up in the air. Before anyone could say anything else Sasuke spoke again.

"Fuck Naruto. I've spent the last few weeks ready to rip your head off the next time we talked, but here you are making all my anger just fly out the window, like you always do…Kami, I hate that you can do that."

He heard Naruto chuckle dryly on the other end. "Its because we're soul mates, babe."

Despite himself, Sasuke felt a smile grace his lips. "Don't tell me you believe in that fairytale crap?"

"Anything's possible." An almost comfortable silence passed over them, before Sasuke broke it.

"My heart nearly broke when I heard that message. Please, just _try_ and imagine how you would feel if I got someone pregnant…" Naruto growled lightly. "See? It felt like my heart was ripped up into a thousand little pieces and stepped on…"

"But Sasuke, it was an accident…I never meant to hurt you!"

The brunette remained quiet for a couple moments. "I can't forgive you. I will forgive you, eventually, but not now. Not yet." He could feel his heart breaking, and ne knew Naruto's was too, but this was what had to happen, he was sure.

"Sasuke, baby, I know this is a big deal, but its not like we can't work through this! I meant, we've been through bigger things!"

"There really hadn't been anything that's bigger than a child. That's a whole new life, a whole nother person to be taken into account."

"Sasuke, baby, come on! You _know_ that we're supposed to be together!" He could hear the tears in his voice, and could distinctly tell that there was an edge of hysteria there, but he held strong.

"Naruto, I-I can't. Just….Just give me a little more time." The tears that had been threatening to spill for the entire conversation finally fell, and his voice was thick with them.

"Sasuke, please don't cry! I love you, so, so much." The blonde said, and Sasuke felt his heart break a little more. He cursed Naruto for being able to do this to him, for being able to turn the normally stoic man into a sobbing mess.

"I love you too." He whispered, then shut the phone and slide down the door into a heap and started to cry.

* * *

_So...yeah...Tomorrow I'm registering for school...That'll be...fun...I get to go to a "Special School" for artsy people, and at this point my entire family -That's including everyone in the US, out of the US, and both sets of Steps- is more excited than I am..._

_The only good thing is I seem to write well when I'm unhappy, so maybe my work'll improve or something...And i get to shop for school supplies! Lol, I'm sucha nerd, but seriously, my favorite part of school is going to Staples to get supplies!! _

_Um...yeah, you know what? I'm just gonna stop talking now...Damn meds screwing my head up even more...And making me hungry...And tired..._

_**Reviews make me heal faster!**_


	6. Taking the first step

_Author's notes_

_So...First off, I'm sorry for the delay! Between the last chapter and this one, I had recovery from my surgery, moved, became jail-bait, started a new school, had a mini-identity crisis, found my non-romantic soulmate, got a boyfriend, broke up with him cause he got arrested, pissed off all my old friends, got a hair-cut, fell in puppy-love with a bi cross-dresser who has neon pink hair and is in love with a whore, and dropped an egg on somebodys head! And thats not even counting today!_

_Today I didn't feel like going to school, so I skipped and went to the city. There, I got lost and stumbled into a gay-bar -LOL!- and got my necklace kissed for good luck by the most gorgeous drag-queen I've ever met, got a pair of girl-jeans, and got a cuncusion! See, I wasn't waering a seat-belt and was in the back of a mini-van, getting something, when they stopped suddenly and I flew forward and crashed my head into the dashboard! Yay me!! _

_But somehow, that seemed to have awakened my ever-dormant muse, and so hears the sixth chapter of Baby Steps!_

_Warning: Swearing, innuendo's -I think-, boy-love, -probably- waaaay too much dialogue..._

_Disclamor: Oh yes, I'm a thrity-something year old dude who, instead of writing one of the most popular ninja manga's in the world, chooses to write gay fanfics. I mean, really? Does that make sense, to anyone?_

_Author: Oh yes, its me, once again, Obsessive, in the -Figurative- flesh, come to work her magic!_

* * *

Sasuke stayed like that, curled up in the closet for another couple minutes, then stood shakily. He opened the door quietly, and, ignoring the confused and worried looks of his friends, he walked into the bathroom and threw up loudly. When nothing more would come up, he climbed into the shower, not even bothering to shut the door.

"Well…this is…progress…I guess…" Deidara shot an anxious look at Itachi. "What do you think he's thinking?"

"You know, I have never, in nineteen years, been able to figure him out." He sighed, then slipped out of bed and walked into the shower, just as Sasuke was stepping out.

"You took a shower." Sasuke sent him a withering look, and he half-smiled. "Hey, I'm not the one who's gone for three weeks without one." The shorter brunette sent him a glare, then walked out of the bathroom, completely bare.

"Woah. Sasuke chose some chick over you?" Deidara said, surprised.

Hidan whistled appreciatively, then yelped when Kakuzu hit him on the back of his head. "Hey! Just cause I'm checking out the merchandise doesn't mean I want to buy the store! Ow! He yelped in pain again when Itachi through a lamp at him.

"Sasuke, please, I know you're going through some shit right now, but that doesn't mean you have to parade around naked."

Said man sent a look back at his brother. "It's my room. I can do what I please." He opened his closet again, and started looking through his clothes. He pulled out a pair of dark skinny jeans, threw them at Gaara, who caught them, then turned back and started looking at his shirts.

"What are you doing?" Itachi asked, confused.

"Picking out a shirt." He pulled out a dark blue t-shirt and a black long sleeve button up. "Which one looks better?"

"I don't know, they look the same. Why are you looking for clothes?"

"So I can where them." He peeked around Itachi to look into his room. Holding out his shirts, he asked "Which one looks better?"

"Blue shirt!" replied Kisame, piping up for the first time.

"Black shirt!" Pein said.

"Why don't you wear both?" A quiet, musical voice interjected. Everyone turned to look at Konan, who was calmly folding an origami rose. Sasuke nodded, grabbed a pair of red boxers, and walked into his room. He slipped on the jeans, then pulled the shirts on.

Twirling, he asked "How do I look?"

Before anyone could say anything, Itachi said "You look fine, now why do you need to get dressed?"

His little brother looked at him blankly for a moment. "I'm going to go meet Sakura."

Everyone gaped at him. "Why?" Neji asked, mystified.

"Someone in this situation needs to be an adult." He said, grabbing his phone and dialing information. He held his hand up when someone tried to talk, silencing them. "Sakura Haruno, Konoha." He tapped his foot while he waited.

After a few tense moments, she picked up. "Hello?"

"Sakura?"

"Yeah…"

"This is Sasuke."

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah, its really me. Listen, I'm calling because we need to talk."

There were few seconds of silence from the other end before she relied. "When and where?"

"How about in forty-five minutes, at the Fire and Ice Coffee shop?"

"Sounds good. I'll…I'll see you then…"

The brunette said nothing and hung up. "Who wants to be my back-up?"

Deidara raised his hand excitedly. Sasuke smiled. "Let's go get you clean clothes."

The blonde smiled and jumped up, pulling Sasuke along as he skipped towards his room. The rest of the party followed, all them in shock; Not only was Sasuke out of bed, but he was about to go meet the girl who was carrying his boyfriends child. Itachi was trying to reach them, but even he couldn't match the artist's energy as he hurried to his room. They only reached the two small men when they finally stopped in Deidara and Sasori's closet.

"Sasuke, you can't go meet her! That'd be…that'd be…" Itachi looked around, for the first time at a loss of words.

"It'd be sick and really weird." Gaara supplied.

"Exactly! Listen to him! This isn't me hating Naruto, or being an overprotective older brother, this is me using my common sense! You should try it sometime."

"Look, this isn't really how I wanted to spend my day, believe me." Sasuke said, turning around and walking until he was right in his brother's face. "However, I love him, and I _need_ this to work, and if that means that I talk to the whore that slept with my boyfriend, then it means I talk to her."

"This will not end well! It _can't_ end well." Itachi was almost pleading with his brother now, and everyone in the room, except for Deidara, who was cheerfully looking through his clothes, was watching the verbal sparring match.

"You can't stop me Itachi. I'm a big boy now; I decide my own fate."

Itachi was clearly hurt by that. "I can't stand seeing you in pain, Sasuke."

"I know." Sasuke leaned into him, and they hugged for a minute, until Deidara popped back out.

"How do I look?" He asked, spinning around and drifting towards the brothers. He was wearing a pair of grey skinny jeans and a tight mesh long-sleeve shirt, with a black tank-top over it. His eye-liner was reapplied, and somehow his long, golden hair was brushed and looked perfect.

"You scare me." Tobi said, slightly hiding behind Zetsu.

Deidara beamed. "Yay! Now lets go!" He grabbed Sasuke and they sauntered out of the room, leaving a suddenly awkward group standing in the middle of the room. They stood for a couple more seconds, before separating.

Meanwhile, Deidara and Sasuke were pulling out of the driveway. They started off towards the coffee shop, which was only fifteen minutes away. Both men stared out the window, neither saying a word until they pulled up to the shop.

"Do-do you think that this is a mistake…?" Sasuke said quietly, staring straight ahead.

"Honestly? I don't think you'll know until it's over." Deidara took his hand and gave it a small squeeze.

Sasuke grimaced, then opened his door and slipped out, waiting until the blonde reached him to walk to the door. He took a deep breathe, then let it out and walked in. He took a quick survey of the room, then walked to an empty table in the middle of the room and sat down.

Deidara sat in the seat next to him, then sighed. "What now?"

"We wait."

* * *

_To thank any of my loyal readers who have waited sooo long for this chapter, I promise to reply to any reviews you beautiful, intelligent, wonderful people bestow upon me! I love each and every one of you, even if you don't review -Although I'll love you even more if you do!-_


	7. Best friends, busboys, and beatings

_Author's notes_

_So...I feel better now...melencholey, and little empty, but my life is back on track, hopefully...Anyways, here's the latest chapter of Baby Steps! I'm not feeling in a particularly inspired mood, or even really want to continue this or Bound, but....But you guys want me to write -I think- so I will..._

_Warning: Violence, BL_

_Disclamor: One day, one day soon, Naruto will be all mine..._

_Author: Obsessive_

* * *

A pink haired woman stood outside the coffee shop, lightly rubbing her small baby-bump. She turned to look at the blonde at her side. "What…do you think this was a good idea?"

She gave her a blank look. "Honey, this entire thing, from sleeping with a taken man, to accepting this invitation, has one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard of." Sakura glared at her.

"Glad to know I have your support." She sighed and pushed open the doors. Looking around, her eyes stopped at the most gorgeous men she had ever laid her eyes on. A blonde, obviously a cross-dresser, was talking calmly to a brunette with his back turned. The brunette turned his head, and she recognized the killer glare instantly.

Walking over to him, she kept her head held high, and her eyes fierce. Ino followed her, and when they reached the table, Deidara stood, and the two glared at each other.

"What, you couldn't go it alone, so you had to bring a prostitute?" He aimed at Sakura.

"And you had to bring a drag queen?" Ino spat at Sasuke. Their glares intensified.

"Bitch."

"Bastard."

"Slut."

"Whore." A few seconds later, they smiled and laughed. "Come-on, let's let them talk in peace." They both giggled, and went to another table. Sakura sat down at the seat Deidara abandoned, and they watched each other for a long couple of moments.

When a busboy came up to take their orders, Sasuke ordered before he could even opened his mouth. "Mocha, no whip."

"Um…a hot-chocolate, please." She gave the teenager a small smile, which he graciously returned before scampering off.

"How far along are you?" She looked at him, surprised by how soft his voice was.

"Um…A little over four months…Listen, Sasuke, I'm so sorry."

"Why'd you do it, Sakura? I mean, didn't you know…couldn't you have guessed?" His face was emotionless, but his eyes were distressed. She bit her lip.

"I-I was lonely, and…you weren't the only one who liked him! I did too, once upon-a-time…he was so depressed, and drunk out of his mind…I don't know how he was still able to function…" She paused. "And how was I supposed to know that you two were still together? Far as I knew, you were history!" They stopped talking when the busboy arrived with their drinks.

"You have to know that I would've never…I mean, I'm an idiot, but not a home-wrecker! I just didn't think…" She looked at him desperately. "If I had known you were still his, then I would have stayed far away!"

He held up a hand to silence her. "So…the question is, what're we going to do now? Naruto, and I, would never just let you do this on your own…"

She saw where he was going, and grabbed his hand. "No, Sasuke, you guys need to be with each other. You're soul mates. I can do this alone. I have Ino, and I know that we could do it."

They were quiet for a long time. Finally, Sasuke spoke. "You know, there is another option…" she looked up at him curiously. "We could always live together…"

"Do you mean like, the three of us, plus the baby, together?" He nodded.

"It's a bit unorthodox…but this whole situation is, you know? And honestly, that's the only way both of us could be happy…" He trailed off. Sakura just stared at him, gaping.

Finally, she managed to say something. "All of the sickness aside, don't you think that Naruto might have something to say about this?"

"Trust me, any and all negative thoughts he has about this will be silenced when I tell him my ultimatum; He either gets you and me together, or just you. I will not settle for anything else." She watched him carefully.

"Then…it's settled?" She wanted to argue, but honestly, she could think of anything else to say. Deidara and Ino strolled up, arm-in-arm, smiling.

"You two play nicely?"

"Good, now let's go!" With that, they dragged their friends out of the coffee shop.

On the other side of town, Naruto was reaching his car, getting ready to take his lunch break. He yawned, his red-rimmed eyes drooping. Suddenly, a large hand reached out and spun him into the wall of the parking structure. He jerked from the pain of being flung so hard, and glared at his assailants. When he saw who it was, the glare faded into a look of surprise.

"Itachi? Kisame? What're you-" His sentence was cut short by a well-aimed kick to his sternum. His breathe whooshed out, and he would have fallen had it not been for the large man pinning him up.

"How dare you? How dare you make my brother love you?" He aimed another kick for his gut, and Kisame let him fall to the ground. When he tried to get up, Kisame placed a foot on his chest, holding him down.

"My sweet, innocent baby brother just spent the last month crying his eyes out because you betrayed him! You stupid mutt, you don't deserve him! He deserves the moon, the stars, everything! Not some second-rate boyfriend who can't even keep in his pants!" He kicked him again, and the blonde doubled-up in pain.

"He's given you everything that he is…everything, for the last eight years, it's been all about you." He paused, and looked down at him in disgust. "You'd better hope that he takes you back, or you won't have his protection anymore…and you don't want to know what'll happen then." He gave him a sick smile, then kicked him one last time, and left, Kisame following like a puppy.

Naruto groaned in pain. "Sasuke…"

* * *

_Review please?_


	8. The ultimatum

_Author's notes_

_Hey! I'm back! First off, I'm so sorry about the HUGE wait! I wouldn't be surprised if alot of you don't even want to read this anymore...but please know it wasn't on purpose! As some of you may already know, my family's been going through a really hard time this year, because my father has had some really big health issues, and I've been having to take care of my family...but things have somewhat settled down now, so I should be able to update this regularly! Yay! _

_Warning: Shohen-ai, language?_

_Disclamor: Is Sasuke being tied up and given to Naruto like a birthday present? Then no, Naruto ain't mine, sadly..._

_Author: Obsessive_

* * *

"So…this is nice…" Sakura said awkwardly as Sasuke gave her a quick tour of their apartment. He glanced at her.

"Thanks…I don't know where Naruto is, he should be here already…" He ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "Gods, I hope he's not drinking again…" Pursing his lips, he led her to a shut door. "This is the bed-" They both stopped suddenly, staring at the door, where a faint moan was coming from.

The brunette frowned and slowly opened the door. They both gasped when they saw Naruto sprawled out on the bed, eyes closed, covered in bruises and cuts. He opened his eyes and blinked rapidly.

"Sasuke?" He tried sitting up, but he gave up and rested on his elbows instead. He looked at Sasuke as if he was an angel, not even noticing the woman was there. The younger man swallowed nervously and fought back tears.

Looking between the two, Sakura gave Sasuke a little push. "Go." She whispered. Smiling slightly when he whimpered then ran into Naruto's arms, she closed the door and went into the living room.

The blonde held Sasuke tightly, burying his face into his hair. After a couple of minutes, he murmured "Babe?"Said man just hide his head deeper into the crook of the blondes neck and tightened his hold on him. Naruto was more than happy to hold him, so they sat in silence for a long while.

Finally, Sasuke spoke. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing important. Just had a run-in with some old friends." He shook his head. "Oh, Sasuke, I thought…I thought I'd never see you again…"

"You almost didn't…I was so ready to just…give up, throw all of this away…" He felt tears build up, but he blinked them away. "But this…this is too much to give away…I could never…" He trailed off.

"Sasuke…" Naruto had felt a panic rise up in him while he was speaking, but he tried to push it away. "I love you so much…I'm so, so sorry…" He inhaled deeply, taking in the feeling of holding the one he was afraid he would never see again.

"I love you too…I always have. Always and forever." He pulled away slightly, seeing the panic in Naruto's eyes. "And I'm not leaving you, never again." He gave him a sad smile. "That was harder on me than on you…"

He ignored Naruto when he shook his head. "But thing's are going to be different now…They just can't be the same…" The brunette felt himself tear up, and looked down. "But I don't care, and you shouldn't either. All that matters is that we'll be together…"

He looked back up at Naruto to see him fighting back tears of his own, and that sent him over the edge. "Naruto…" He whimpered as tears flowed down his face as he threw his arms around him again. They only stayed like that for a couple minutes before Sasuke pulled away from him, laughing nervously.

"I promised myself I'd stop crying…" He smiled at his boyfriend. "Um, we've got a guest…" He climbed off the bed, and gently led Naruto to the living room, remembering his bruises when they had to walk slowly down the hall.

Naruto gasped slightly when he finally realized Sakura was in his home. The pink-haired woman was sitting on their couch with a book from Sasuke's bookcase in her hands. She looked up when they walked in the room.

"Uh, hi…"She smiled. "Sorry, you guys were in there awhile…" She made a move to get up, but Sasuke held up a hand.

"Its fine, you can keep reading it…but I think we've got to talk to Naruto." He gave the tanned man at his side a look before gently nudging him into a chair. Walking into the kitchen and opening the freezer, he began. "Obviously, we can't leave Sakura on her own with a baby, especially since its half yours…"

"Even though that would be fine with me!" Sakura cut in quickly, and Naruto stopped watching Sasuke to glance at her. "But Sasuke…didn't like that idea…and he came up with another one…"

"Look, this situation had no right options. We can't be apart," Sasuke said, coming out of the kitchen with a couple ice bags and handing them to Naruto. "But you can't be away from Sakura. I won't-A baby needs a father, and a mother needs some help."

"Then-then what do we do?" Naruto asked, looking at him worriedly.

"We all move in together." Sasuke replied nonchalantly as he sat on the couch next to the pregnant woman. Naruto's mouth flew open, and he gaped at them. His eyes flickered between the two as he struggled to find something to say.

Eventually, he managed to say "That-that's sick. Just…what? How could-I mean, that just couldn't work. It's…wrong!" The tan man's voice was tinged with distress. Sakura looked down at her feet, and Sasuke set his jaw.

"Do you have another option?" He said, eyes burning with anger. "Yeah, its sick and wrong and weird, but then again, who got us into this situation? Hmmm?" He grabbed one of the ice bags in Naruto's hand and roughly shoved it onto a particularly nasty bruise he saw forming.

"If you don't like it, then tell us what we should do. You knocked her up, and I will not let you leave her alone. So unless you want _me _to leave-"

"No!" The baby blue's they both fell in love with were wide with fear. "No, no, no…but that can't work!"

"I'm not going to let this poor baby suffer because of your drunken mistake. I want you to give that baby a family…even if it doesn't include me."

* * *

_I'm sorry about this chapter...It's been son long since I've written anything, even one-shots, so it'll probably take me a bit to get back into my groove...And get back into this story...but I'm gonna get there, if any of you are willing to stick around!_

_Reviews would be great!_


	9. A family get together

__

Author's notes

_Hey! Wow, well, I'm only, like, a month late with this chapter! Whoo! That's...well, it's not good, but it's better, right? I've been feeling horrible for the past couple of day, my stomach has hurt so badly i'm actually afraid to eat...but I'm going to the doctor's on Tuesday, so it all should work out! Anyways, this chapter is really, really, REALLY short because I'm tired, but I thought I wouldwrite this little peice of filler-fluff to apologize for my absence!_

_Warning: Shohen-ai and fluff_

_Disclamor: I would die of happiness if I owned Naruto, so the fact that I'm writing this and not six feet under should tell you that I don't own anything!_

_Author: Obsessive_

* * *

Naruto swallowed thickly as he looked into Sasuke's bottomless eyes. "I chose you, Sasuke. I'll always choose you." Sasuke bit his lip and nodded. They sat there in silence for a long moment before Naruto turned to Sakura, smiling.

"So, when do you wanna move in?"

"Um…whenever, I guess…?" She gave them a tentative smile. They returned it, then looked around the apartment. Sasuke sighed.

"Kami, this means people are gonna be walking around here, doesn't it?" He said, half-joking. Naruto chuckled and Sakura's smile grew wider.

"Well, we could always move it all ourselves…" When she saw the look Sasuke was giving her, she added "Kidding!"

A month later, a moody brunette leaned against his doorframe with a beer in his hand. He took a swing as he looked around his newly redecorated living room, and the people in it. His brother and all his friends were there, as well as Naruto's friends and Ino.

He had a funny feeling about Ino. Something about her let him know that she was going to be around for awhile-and when she turned to him and winked flirtatiously, he knew it. Someone carefully bumped his elbow.

"She was a professional fan girl in high school. Now she's a member of the paparazzi. Good luck!" Sasuke laughed when Sasuke groaned. "Now now, I'm sure you'll get used to her in no time!" She giggled when he mumbled something about 'fucking fangirls' and needing to 'buy a chastity belt'.

"Well, what do we have here? A girl bonding moment?" Kakuzu slide up to the two of them, drink in hand, smirking. Sasuke was instantly emotionless, and he elbowed him in the ribs, hard. "Ow! What, a guy can't make a joke?" When he got nothing but a blank look, he sighed. "Fine. I'll just go find Hidan and have some fun with him." He wiggled his eyebrows as he walked away.

Sakura stared after him oddly. "Is he-"

"A freak? Yeah, always." Sasuke smiled slightly as he looked at her. "But don't worry, you'll get used to him."

She shuddered lightly. "Kami…" Across the room, Naruto was taking a small sip of his soda.

"So things are working out?" The dog-lover asked skeptically.

"Yeah, actually, they are…I mean, it's not perfect. I'm not allowed to drink anymore, and Sasuke's still making me sleep on the couch…but I'm with him again, and that's all that matters, you know?" He shook his head slightly and smiled. "And he and Sakura are getting along great….it's scary, actually…"

He looked over at the door, where Sasuke and Sakura were standing, giggling at something. They saw he was looking over at him, and both smiled, waving. He waved back, and grinned at them before looking back at his friends. "It's nice to have a family…"

* * *

_So, I have a favor to ask you all-Would you rather this story be a more angsty or more humorous? I mean, I know how I'm going to end the story...but I'd like some imput from you guys! I mean, honestly, your opinion means the world to me!_

_Please pity a poor, sick girl and review!_


	10. What's up, Doc?

_Author's notes_

_Har! It is I, Obsessive, back from tha land of the dead! Whoo, has it been an intense little while. So, remember way back in, what, April? When I said I was feeling sick and stuff? So, I went to the doctor, and then again, and again, and again-and then, five apointments, three blood-drawings, and a trip to the hospital later I was diagnosed with this scary little syndrome thing that will likely affect my life for at least the next couple years...pretty distracting...So, this is why it's been two months since I updated! Anyways, the story is moving along, I hope, and since school is out now I might, hopefully, start updating a little faster. i have a goal of finishing before school starts up again, so..._

_Warnings: Nothing much, in this chapter. A bit of swearing? Though that probably shouldn't bother you by now..._

_Disclamor: Seriously? No, I'm completely broke, so I probably don't own Naruto._

_Author: The wonderful, lovely, totally humble Obsessive._

* * *

"We're going to be late! Hurry up, guys!" Sakura stood in the doorway, tapping her foot.

"I know, I know, I-shit, where're the keys?" Naruto called out as he raced out of the bathroom. Sakura shook the keys she held, and he sighed in relief before glancing at the clock. "Oh, shit, we're late! Babe, come on!"

"I'm right here." Sasuke said calmly as he walked to Sakura. "Let's go." The threesome made their way, slowly because of the rather large belly Sakura was sporting, and to their car. Sakura made a noise, and both Naruto as Sasuke looked at her.

"Um, so…I'm at twenty-two weeks, so this is a pretty big stage…" She bit her lip and smiled. "I mean, we'll get a new ultrasound, and…if we want…find out the sex of the baby…" She trailed off, then looked between the two of them. "Do you two want to know?"

Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't thought this far. In all honestly, the whole situation felt like a dream-and he had a feeling knowing the sex of the baby would make everything real. He didn't know if that was a good thing.

"Duh. I mean, the baby is at least going to be a little mine, right? So I want to know what to start buying for it." Sasuke said from the backseat, looking out the window.

"Sasuke, the baby is more than a little yours. You're one of his daddies!" Sakura looked back at him and smiled. "I'm with you-I want to know." They both looked at Naruto.

"Well, I'm not going to be the only one in the dark." The blonde said, pouting. Sasuke smiled, and Naruto caught his eye in the mirror. "You've been smiling a lot lately, Sasuke…I like it. You look so beautiful when you do."

Said brunette blushed. "Shut up, I'm not beautiful." Sakura scoffed, but before any of them could say anything else, the doctor's office came into view. The trio was silent as they walked into the small white building.

"Hi, my name is Haruno Sakura." She said, smiling to the purple-haired receptionist.

"Oh, yes, you're right on time. If you'll just have a seat, the doctor will see you in just a few minutes." She said. Sakura nodded and sat by Naruto and Sasuke. Behind them, the clock ticked loudly. She glanced around, but other than a few out-dated pregnancy magazines, the room was empty.

"So…" She began, breaking the silence. The other two looked at her. "This is probably not the best subject to discuss now, but…what are we going to do when the baby is born?"

"Well, theoretically, feed it and clothe it and watch it, and eventually send it to school and drive it places and-" Sasuke began sarcastically.

"Thank you, Sasuke. Yes, I know all that. I mean, like, what are we going to do about, like, housing and stuff…."

"Oh. That's a good question." Naruto said. He had really liked these past couple weeks living together. He loved living with Sasuke, of course, but there was something about having another person…It was like having the family he never got. And when he tried to think of not being with his baby all the time, his stomach contracted uncomfortably.

Sasuke frowned. He liked having Sakura around. He loved Naruto, and he was his best friend and all that, but there was something about having a best friend he didn't sleep with he liked. He had just assumed that they would continue their little arrangement even after the baby was born.

"Well…I mean, I guess we could just have a split custody deal…I get the baby during the week, you two on the weekends, or something…" She said hesitantly.

"Yeah, I guess that would work…" Naruto said, while Sasuke made a small 'hnn' of agreement. They sat in an awkward silence.

"Or we could all still live together." Sasuke said, and the other two sighed in relief. Sakura has been having a mental panic attack at the very thought of raising a baby all on her own.

"That could work, that could work-"

"Sakura?" A calm, smooth voice interrupted. They looked up to see a tall, well-endowed blonde woman watching them. They stood and walked towards her. "Hi, my name is . You're Sakura?" She said, extending her hand to the pink-haired woman. She shook it, smiling. "And these are the fathers?"

"Uh…" Sakura coughed. "Um. Well, of sorts. This is the biological daddy," she said, indicating Naruto, who waved. "And this is the other daddy." Sasuke nodded.

Tsunade looked between the three of them for a minute. "Okay then. Follow me." She turned and walked down the hallway behind her, and into one of the open doors. Sakura sat on the exam table, while Sasuke and Naruto took the two empty seats and Tsunade pulled up a rolling chair.

"Now, before we start, I'd like to know something; is 'other daddy'," She said, making air quotes, "your boyfriend, Sakura, or 'biological daddy's'?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Mine." Naruto said. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, in fact, I don't, you brat." She smiled at him. "Now, I'm going to be your obstetrician as well as your delivering doctor, so are there any questions or concerns you have before we start?"

"Um, no, not really…" Sakura said, glancing at Naruto and Sasuke.

"Okay then, let's begin." An hour later, and Sakura was lying on her back while Tsunade rubbed petroleum jelly on her stomach. "Now, this is just to make it easier to see the baby. In just a moment, we're going to see your baby on the screen. Aare you going to want to know that sex?"

"Yeah, yeah. Is this-I mean, is this it? You'll just look put this things on my tummy and we'll be able to see it?"

"Mmhmmm, it's that easy." She said, putting the sonogram on her. They turned to look at the monitor, and a few seconds later the baby appeared.

"Is-is that…" Naruto trailed off, eyes wide.

"That's really our baby?" Sakura asked. Sasuke stared at the image in wonder, eyes never leaving the baby's face.

"Yes, that's your baby, kiddos. She smiled at them. "Now, are you ready to know if you have a boy or a girl?"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke and Sakura's hands, and took a deep breath. "Yeah, we're ready."

* * *

_Do you know what I just realized? I started this back in June 2008...That means you, my beautiful and gracious readers, have stuck with me for over a year! Wow! I love you guys so much! Seriously, you have to be the best readers on FF._

_Oh, and I'm leaving it up to you guys, I guess: Boy or girl? _

_Review, please!_


End file.
